PlatKat.com: "It Should Work..."

Friday, July 29, 2005

"It Should Work..."

I'm getting really fucking sick of receiving the response, "It should work..." whenever I tell someone that something (a process, piece of code, etc.) is not working. Yes, I am fully aware that it should work. In fact, if it did work, I wouldn't be requesting some kind of information or assistance from you in order to proceed. Telling me what currently should or shouldn't happen is an offensive waste of time. I am aware of the correct outcome, but right now, it's incorrect and we need to fix it.

What exactly do people expect to accomplish by telling me, "It should work..."? Should I respond, "You know, you're right! It should! Hey, that fixed it. It's doing what it should do now because you said it should work! Thanks!"

No, because then instead of sounding like an annoyed bitch, I'd sound like a snide bitch.

Other than being a futile waste of words, that statement actually sets productivity back. When you respond to someone's problem with "It should work..." you're not only not helping the person (yes I'm using a double-negative; it's a necessity for emphasis), but you've created another obstacle by appearing unwilling to admit that there's even something wrong. That means the person with the problem has to double-back and re-explain the issue while having to unnecessarily convince you that it is problem to begin with.

None of the problems that have yielded such an asinine response are the end of the world (my badge isn't working, something in the Help is broken and I was tasked with fixing it, etc). However, I feel like the people I've asked for assistance have given me a telling glimpse of their personalities. These models of dipshittery might as well wear signs that say, "Hi, I'm [name] and instead of just dealing with problems that are relatively small and easy to fix, I'd rather pretend they don't exist." It may not change things, but at least I'd know what I was getting myself into when I asked a simple question.

posted by platkat @ 9:33 AM